Sweating Sickness
by Tudorprincess
Summary: *crossover* The Doctor and Amy go back in time to the court of Henry VIII and discover a mysterious ailment. Will they get to the root of it? Will Amy be able to escape the attentions of the King? Will the Doctor fall in love? And what's wrong with Anne?


Disclaimer: Don't own any of these great characters or shows, hopefully i won't mess them up too much

The Doctor, Amy and the Tardis were standing quite innocently on a street corner in the middle of some great, bustling English city. The buildings were towering over them and the sound of police sirens, honking horns and shouting indicated that a road accident had occurred not that far from where they were.

"So where to now then, Miss Pond?" the Doctor asked his young companion.

"Miss Pond now is it?" she asked, a little suspicious at the change of attitude and name. She narrowed her eyes accusingly at him in demand to know exactly why he had said this.

"Well, you might as well get some use out of it before it changes after the big day"

"What are you on about? I'm not changing my name. Like you said, it's a great name" she proudly smiled making the Doctor beam himself. He always did think it was a good name, it sounded like something out of a fairytale. But he couldn't help but tease her a little.

"I said **Amelia** Pond was a great name, not Amy" he told her, tongue-in-cheek.

"Oh shush! Anyway, I'm getting tired of going to all these places. All I want is a bit of sunshine, some r & r, and all I keep getting is a work out chasing after aliens"

"You're exaggerating"

"I'm not! And you keep saying we're going to Rio but we've yet to get there" she complained. Over the past couple of weeks she had begged and begged him to take them to sunny Brazil so she could party at the carnival with all it's bright colours and hypnotic music, and sun it up on the golden beaches next to the clear waters, even if she was a freckly red head prone to burning. It would be worth it.

"Alright then, we'll go to Rio" he conceded, he was sure he would get it right this time. But Amy folded her arms and turned her head in the opposite direction.

"I don't want to go now" she exclaimed like a petulant child.

"What?"

"I want to go to Ye Olde Tudor England"

"Why the change of heart?"

"Coz I felt like it" she carried on the act of a spoiled brat, but couldn't resist turning back towards him and flashing him her cheeky grin.

"Fine, your wish is my command" he theatrically proclaimed, bowing his head to her as though she was his mistress and he was nothing but a lowly servant.

"Really?" she mischievously grinned, a list of opportunities racing through her mind at this simple, common phrase. She was always a one for exploiting people's lack of clarity.

"Don't push it!" he warned as they walked back up to the Tardis. "After you" he insisted like a true gentleman, clearing the way so that Amy entered the police box first before he too stepped inside and shut the door behind them.

"Has it worked?" Amy dared to ask as she stepped out of the Tardis, barely daring to open her eyes and look. She felt her shoe tread on something soft and was quite sure that at the very least, they weren't on a space ship. She opened her eyes and was greeted by the sight of an azure sky and emerald green fields as far as the eye could see.

"Well we're either in Tudor England or in the middle of Wales. Second thoughts, not enough sheep" the Doctor rationalised as he looked about the place.

"Wow, I think we really are here. Damn, I should have said Rio" she was starting to regret her choice of destination now.

"You said you wanted to come here" he reminded her.

"Yeah well you've not exactly been on target recently have you!" she argued. The Doctor was just about to argue back with her when a peasant woman, probably the wife of a farmer in her dull, dirty clothes and cap, walked up to them with her hand on her hip and a disapproving look on her face. She stood there a moment looking there at them, still staring even when they turned around and looked back at her, before she finally spoke.

"Little harlot, you should be ashamed of yourself!" she spat venomously.

"Excuse me?" Amy exclaimed shocked by the outburst of this complete stranger.

"Go back to your brothel, we're respectable folk 'round here" the woman began to shout, "go on, away with you, you she devil!"

"Ah, I detect a problem" the Doctor said, taking Amy by the arm and pulling her away from the woman who was still yelling obscenities at Amy. He thought this was the best thing to do before Amy lost her cool and did something she would regret.

"What?"

"Your attire, it isn't very Tudor appropriate is it?" he told her, "Or appropriate full stop?" he dared to question.

"What's wrong with it?" she looked down at herself and observed her favourite long red jumper and mini black skirt that was accompanied by tights. It wasn't that bad, was it? She wasn't showing any skin.

"Well I've been meaning to say this for a while but…it's a bit…revealing…isn't it?" he finally dared to say, noting how short her skirt was, cringing as he did and hoping that she wouldn't hit him or start to cry about what he said. But luckily, she did neither.

"Hey, If you've got it, flaunt it" she smiled, sticking out her toned, slender legs and showing them off with a giggle. She really was a young, confident woman. This is what he admired about her so much.

"Hmm, well I've got rather fine legs myself, I might sport a mini skirt when we get back home, but in the meantime I think we should find something more conspicuous"

"This is soooooo uncomfortable" Amy moaned as they walked down the road. They were in a town now, well it didn't look like what she would call a town. A dirty road full of little hovels and an outdoor market place with dozens of little stalls full of bits and bobs. They had walked a good few miles now, and were dressed in complete Tudor attire which the Doctor had found in his wardrobe. She didn't even dare ask how he got hold of them or why he had them stored there in the first place.

"Think of your poor ancestors, they had to wear this all the time" he reminded her, but this didn't make her feel any better or sympathetic.

"It's itchy" she continued to complain, scratching her arms as the chemise underneath her gown rubbed against her skin.

"Of course it is" he smiled.

"And heavy" she began pulling at the heavy, velvet skirt. She was just happy that the weather wasn't that warm or else she'd be sweating buckets.

"At least you don't have to wear a codpiece" the Doctor said quietly under his breath thinking that Amy wouldn't hear him. But it seemed that he either didn't do it quiet enough or she had excellent hearing because immediately a cheeky smile grew on her face and turned to the Doctor,

"What did you say?" she boldly asked, hoping he would repeat but knowing she wouldn't.

"Nothing, come on stop dawdling" he shrugged off, hoping to distract her from what he had just said and instead shift the discussion on to something completely different by chastising her. Why was she walking so slow anyway, she was usually just as light and swifty as him. It was a good job there wasn't any aliens about or else they'd never catch them.

"Where are we going?"

"To court, my dear Amy"

"Why, what's happening? Is it a murder trial or something?" she excitedly asked, but then the thought of medieval punishment popped up in her head. The rack, the thumbscrew, the Iron Maiden! The thought of it made her feel sick to her stomach, and she didn't even begin contemplating capital punishment.

"What? No, the royal court, to see the King" he exclaimed, and this seemed to lighten her mood up and stopped her complaining about her clothes.

"The King? As in Henry VIII?"

"If I've got the right time, yeah, Bluff King Hal himself" but it seemed Amy didn't even hear what he said she was that excited. She hurried up to keep up with him and looped her arm through his so they were linking as they carried on down the dirty, dusty road, avoiding the animal droppings and trying her best to ignore the poor beggars on the road side.

"And the Queen will be there too? I wonder which one it is" she thought, going through them all in her head and trying to figure out which one she would like to meet the most.

"Could be any of them" he considered. He had no idea what year they were in, he might have even got the King wrong. They could be anywhere between 1509 and 1558. They walked down on to another road, this time a slightly nicer one which was surrounded by more greenery and as they walked down it, they approached a magnificent house, no, not a house, a palace. They walked right up to the gates before they were stopped.

"Halt! Who goes there?" a man dressed in black and red with a red rose on his jacket over his heart and holding a pike in his hand.

"Here you are, my good man" the Doctor casually answered, going into his doublet and fishing out his physic paper and handing it to the guard, who quickly scanned it and immediately became a lot more politer.

"Oh beg your pardon your Grace, Milady!" he apologised, stand up straight and moving over to one side so that the two could pass with ease, "you may enter"

"Milady? Ooh I could get used to this" she smiled as she took hold of the Doctor's arm once again and walked into the court yard of this great palace. She had a quick sneak of the physic paper before he placed it back in his doublet once more, "Lady Amelia Pond and….the Duke of Gallifrey?".

"What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing…not with your ego anyway" she laughed. A duke? She didn't understand why he didn't just pretend to be a physician.

They walked into the great entrance into the palace where there were a great deal more of guards, but the Doctor simply waved his physic paper in front of them and they were allowed entrance immediately. Finally, they were greeted by a man dressed all in black who had a slightly greying beard.

"You are new to court?" he asked sternly.

"Yes, I am the Duke of Gallifrey and this is my ward Lady Amelia Pond" the Doctor introduced. The man summoned them to follow him and they walked down a maze of corridors before they reached a great hall with massive doors that were wide open. Amy couldn't help but peer in over the man's shoulder as he spoke.

"On my word go through and introduce yourself to the King. But be wise in your words, do not talk unless you are spoken to….and do NOT turn your back on him" he warned sternly. Amy observed the dimly lit room, which she thought was rather odd considering how bright it was outside. But the room itself was majestic, richly adorn with jewels and tapestries. At the top was a throne and she could see a man sitting upon it, but no matter how hard she squinted, she could not see who it was.

"Your majesty, the Duke of Gallifrey and his ward Lady Amelia Pond" the man announced all of a sudden and Amy felt the Doctor take hold of her hand and pull her into the room. She gathered herself as best as she could. They stopped in front of the throne and after a dramatic bow from the Doctor and a weak curtsey from Amy, they rose their heads and observed the magnificent figure of King Henry VIII.

"Gallifrey eh?" the King repeated, deep in thought. Then his bright blue eyes lit up all of a sudden as he exclaimed, "Yes, I knew your father, good man. You are most welcome here. You and your pretty ward. I am sure there are plenty vacancies for ladies-in-waiting, Lady Amelia, go on to the Queen's rooms and I'm sure we will find you a place" he smiled at the pair, his eyes lingering on Amy a little too long for her comfort, but when the Doctor squeezed her hand she remembered herself.

"Thank you" she smiled, "Oh…your majesty" she quickly added when she remembered who he was and where she was. The Doctor too thanked the King for his welcome, and the two silently backed towards the side of the chamber as another courtier was introduced to the King.

"How does he know your father?"

"No idea, he's probably lying. Unless….never mind" he dismissed himself. He always was one for rambling incoherently anyway.

"So which Queen is it?" Amy asked, desperately wanting to see one of Henry's famous Queens. She even began looking around the room but there seemed to be no woman raised higher than any of the other girls floating about the place.

"Haven't got a clue" he said under his breath as he smiled to the courtiers who were observing the newbies.

"You enquire after the Queen?" a young girl asked them with a warm smile on her face. She nearly made Amy jump as she spoke so clearly and suddenly. The Doctor turned around and saw a young, blonde girl looking up at him with kind eyes.

"I do, milady"

"It is Catherine of course" she announced as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, though she still tried to say it as politely as she could, like she had been brought up to be.

"Oh of course. Catherine…?" he questioned. Henry had three wives called Catherine, it still didn't make the situation any clearer.

"Infanta of Spain" the girl confirmed a little confused as to how anyone could not know who the Queen of England was.

"Yes, yes. I remember her well" the Doctor bluffed and the girl smiled again once more, though it didn't look like she was convinced that he knew who the Queen was at all.

"You are new to court?" she asked.

"Just newly arrived. This is Lady Amelia Pond, and I am the Duke of Gallifrey" he bowed and Amy remembering from Pride and Prejudiced that every time someone introduced themselves the man always had to bow and the girl had to curtsey. She dipped into a clumsy curtsey and almost fell over, whilst the other girl fell into a graceful curtsey which was far more elegant than anything she could ever do.

"Forgive me my impertinence your Grace. Lady Jane Seymour at your service. I can take Mistress Pond to the Queen's chambers if you want." Amy perked up immediately at the name.

"Jane Seymour? **The** Jane Seymour?" she asked, giving the girl a good looking up and down now she knew her true identity. She was blonde and pale, paler even than Amy herself, with big blue eyes and thin lips which were rather pink. She had heard that Jane was meant to be rather plain, but Amy concluded that she was fairly pretty in a familiar way, just not spectacularly stunning.

"I beg your pardon?" Jane asked confused again. Amy was beginning to think that her dazed look was her natural expression the amount of times she wore it. Then again, the Doctor was a confusing man and she wasn't helping herself. She needed to calm herself down.

"Just ignore her, she's a bit hysterical, first time at court and all. Yes, that would be very helpful, thank you Mistress Seymour" the Doctor replied, taking Amy's hand and passing her over to Jane who received her. But Amy couldn't believe what was happening.

"What? Wait, what are you going to do whilst I'm gone?" she tried to ask in a whisper to stop Jane overhearing her, pulling her hand away from Jane. By this point, Jane was starting to think that they were a rather strange couple.

"Explore" he flashed his cheeky grin as he once again passed her hand to Jane.

"But…"

"Yes, take her to the Queen's chambers and look after her for me Mistress Seymour, she is new and does not know the ways of the court" he instructed Jane as politely as he could, with a little wink that confused both Jane and Amy together.

"Certainly, your Grace. I will bring her down to the banquet in the evening. Farewell" she bade him sweetly and the Doctor couldn't help but give her a smile and bow to her before he wandered off out of the hall and down one of the many corridors. Jane stood watching him for a moment before Amy cleared her throat and she came back to her senses.

"Shall we go?" she asked, but before Amy could give her an answer, she lifted up her skirts and dodged her way pass the other courtiers as though it was a game, keeping hold of Amy's hand and leading her to the exit. "So how old are you Amelia?" she asked once they were in the relatively quieter corridor.

"Twenty-one, and yourself?"

"Almost twenty. And you say this is your first time at court?"

"Yes. Why?"

"No reason, it's just a little old for your first appearance at court. Were you brought up in a nunnery?"

"Are you kidding me?" Amy laughed, thinking that Jane was joking. But she saw how serious Jane's face was and realised she wasn't laughing and her face turned quite serious, which caused Jane to immediately bring her hand to her mouth as though she had just insulted her mother.

"I am sorry if I offended you" she apologised immediately, though Amy reassured her with an array of 'no'. When she had finally convinced Jane that she was not offended, Jane finally gathered herself together and said in a low but soft voice, "Though it's better if you are a little thick skinned around here, some of the courtiers are not very nice"

"I'm sure I'll survive" Amy exclaimed. She was thick skinned anyway and it would take more than a couple of bitchy girls to bring her down. She fought killer aliens daily!

"Yes. Well always know you have a friend in me. I know how hard it is to be the new girl, but you'll get use to it. Just watch out though, there are a lot of snakes in the grass. Ah here we are" she said as she arrived at a door after a journey down three corridors and up a set of stairs. Amy held her breath as Jane opened the door.

"Your Majesty" Jane greeted.


End file.
